State Sen. Bob Peterson and State Rep. Gary Scherer met this past week with the Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) at the recent annual “Conservation Partnership Meeting” held in downtown Columbus.

Over 650 conservation leaders consisting of supervisors and staff from Ohio’s 88 SWCDs, partners representing the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Ohio Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts employees, Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, and many others were on hand during the two-day event centered around the theme, “All-In For Conservation.”

The meeting challenged attendees to identify and strengthen their commitment to conservation as each work to positively impact Ohio’s economy, environment and future. Meeting participants networked, participated in thought-provoking workshops and breakout sessions, heard from key speakers including leadership speaker Randy Frazier, Jim Richardson from National Geographic, USDA NRCS Regional Conservationist Gayle Berry from Washington, DC, ODA Director David Daniels, and State Sen. Bob Peterson. During a special event held at the statehouse rotunda, the districts met with state legislators.

“We appreciate Senator Peterson and Representative Scherer for taking the time to meet and hear how SWCDs are positively impacting our local communities through a variety of programs and projects aimed to increase the economy while advancing conservation stewardship,” said Fred Melvin, chair of the Fayette SWCD Board.

To learn more about the event and the great things Ohio’s 88 SWCDs are doing locally, contact Chet Murphy, director of the Fayette SWCD, at 740-636-0279 or contact the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts at (614) 784-1900 or at www.ofswcd.org.